Act III: Electric City
by Genine
Summary: Based on the exact happenings within the episode and then some. Power outages during breakfast leads Roger to negotiate for the beautiful Casseey Jenkins.
1. Tough Morning

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Chapter 1: Tough Morning

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Roger

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I had difficulty sleeping that night. My mind seemed uneasy as usual with philosophy, flashbacks of my life, the demands of clients, and more questions about our existence and Paradigm City. I woke up to the sound of Dorothy's playing-- her way of telling me that it was a brand new day and that it was time to start doing my job as Negotiator again. I felt sorry for that piano; poor thing was getting murdered. I looked at the alarm clock through the darkness of my room. 7:15 AM. Sharp. I groaned and huddled under the covers in an effort to block the sound of the piano. No matter how far I tried to stick my fingers in my ears I could still hear that blasted music. Sometimes I feel that I could hate her. I made a mental reminder to ask Norman for some earplugs. And maybe get rid of that damn piano.

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?" I opened the my bedroom door groggily. No answer. "R. Dorothy Wayneright?" I tried again.

Her mechanical neck whirred to greet me. I massaged my temples. "What the heck are you doing?"

"The scrambled eggs that Norman has made for you have gotten cold. You stayed in bed fifteen minutes later than usual."

"And that's why it's okay for waking me up like this!"

I went to the second floor to the kitchen. Norman wasn't there which meant he was in the first floor repairing the Big O. I laid my elbow on the table, putting all my upper body weight on it. I didn't want to sit up straight; I was too tired for that and I was in a bad mood. I took a bite of eggs. They were cold and tasted more like rubber than an animal. The android was right. I hate it when she's right... I'd have to get up and microwave them... Er... I didn't get enough sleep. Stupid piano. This day was going to be horrible, I knew it. I hate mornings.

Dorothy walked into the kitchen. I watched her, following her every move. I wanted her to feel guilty. I observed as she took a coffee cup and sat down. Every single movement was followed by mostly faint mechanic sounds. I thought about the presence of androids in Paradigm City. They certainly existed, but were rare. The rich mostly kept them for companions or workers. I thought about how I felt that day when I realized the young girl I rescued was not exactly a girl but a clever simulation of one. Androids were sophisticatedly built and were clever imitators; I suppose if I passed by one on the street I wouldn't even realize it or give a second thought if the person next to me was one. I heard Dorothy's machinary humming as she raised the cup to her lips. It was not one fluid movement; one simple task required the intricacy of many internal processes. She took a sip from the container but only air touched her lips. The cup was empty. Aha! Quite interesting, I must say.

"Okay. I get it. You're mimicking us. That's why you're so unnatural," I observed.

"It is not clear what you mean. Could you please be more specific?" She put the cup down on the table.

I pointed my fork towards her. "No matter how human your piano playing sounds, you're just simply imitating us." Let's see if this android knows reverse psychology. "That's why no matter what you play it doesn't have any effect on anyone and becomes pointless."

"No one is ever happy to hear an alarm now."

I stood up, pointing my fork towards her as if it was a gun. "That's-- hmm?" I heard a electrical surge as the lights flickered off. It was very dark.

"This has been happening quite a bit recently," Norman said behind me. I didn't even realize he was now in the room.

I grunted and sat back down. I hate it when things go against the status quo.

"I'll switch us over to our private generator," said Norman as he left the room.

I heard a click. Dorothy ejected her CD drive which was disguised as her headband. Light revealed throughout the room. "Please, continue eating."

I slammed the fork down onto the table. "Will you please stop it?"


	2. The Stranger

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Chapter 2: The Stranger

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Angel

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The butler with the British-sounding accent immediately led me into what I assume was a waiting room. "I will notify Master Roger if your presence. Thank you for waiting patiently, lovely lady," he said cheerfully.

I smiled. "Thank you, kind sir."

I turned around and looked at my surroundings. My mother always said you could learn a lot from someone by the way they keep their house. I had much to deduct concerning my newest target, so I took that advice to heart. The place where one dwelled could even relay more information about one's persona than the firm's records. For example, something very important could be in those table drawers.

I strolled around slowly. What did this room say about this Mr. Roger Smith, Paradigm City's top Negotiater! It was very big for a waiting room; I thought it was a decently beautiful one at that although insanely aphotic and strange. It had three large windows that rose to the infinite ceiling and dark-colored walls. On each side of the room were two floor lamps, turned off of course. Two dark green chairs met at a brown coffee table. The most striking feature was a large desk with only a reading lamp and, believe it or not, an assortment of hourglasses. I wondered what these hourglasses would have to say about Roger Smith, a man I knew so much about and yet so little. What did he look like anyway? They told me his name was all over the newspapers, yet I haven't seen a single photograph of him. He was probably very dull-looking as the room I was in, a boring busy man perhaps aged beyond his years due to the time-consuming stressful nature of his work. There were only blueprints of his Megadeus, amazingly enough, in his file. His record showed no ID picture either; perhaps it got lost. I closed my eyes, remembering the record I poured over back in the office:

Name: Roger A. Smith

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Height: 5'10"

Hair: Black

Eyes: Black

Occupation: Negotiator

5'10! My goodness! That tall with black eyes that matched his hair! No wonder they didn't put an ID picture. You'd know it was him if you bumped into him on the street. I was quite tall for a woman; he'd only be a couple of inches taller than me.

I opened my eyes and traced the hourglass. Today was going to be a long day.

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Roger

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Norman walked into the room with a lamp. He spotted Dorothy. "Oh my. Well, look at that-- how convenient!" The worse thing you could do was compliment her.

"Norman! What's with the power!"

"I'm so sorry, though it appears that a guest arrived for your help. I was delayed seeing to it."

"Without getting my permission first?"

"Yes, sir."

I was about to scold him but then my eyes widened in realization. That could only mean one thing. I wiped my mouth with the napkin. I dismissed from the table. "I see." I proceeded to get dressed.


	3. Rude Awakening

Chapter 3: Rude Awakening

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Angel

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I head the ring of the elevator behind me. Confident footsteps. I slowly turned around, I was so thankful I was wearing my favorite pink sunglasses because I was just so surprised right then. I suddenly felt very... foolish, if that's the right word. There goes my hopeful heart again, leaping at the sight of any handsome young man. I did not find the younger version of Ben Stein but a perfect guy seemingly right off of the Bachelor television series. Well, hello tall, dark, and handsome. Jet black hair slicked back, vibrant thoughtful eyes, a pointy nose, and a square jaw. Not to mention the shoulders of a soldier.

I hid my mirth when I saw his expression hold still as his eyes traveled from down to up, scanning the curvacious profile of my body as if I was the first woman he ever laid eyes on. Men are all the same. I mean, who did he expect? The transy version of Ben Stein?

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, walking towards me. He held out out his hand casually. The hands of a handsome Negotiator. "Helloo. Now how may I be of service to you, Miss... um..." He had a deep manly voice that only led to the kind of thoughts that I didn't want right now.

Usually I had to look down on men, this time I had the pleasure of looking up. I took his hand. 'Calm, collected, cool, slick,' I thought to myself, reviewing the most important of my training. 'Never show emotions. Just strictly business.'

"I'm Casseey Jenkins," I said confidantly. I took a seat down on the chair, folding my legs uncomfortably because I had to wear a skirt. I hate these blasted heels. Oh, the trials of being a woman. "I'm on contract with power management to oversee investigations." I handed him my Paradigm business card.

"So you're with the Paradigm Group, aren't you?" he said, taking my business card as he sat across from me. He set it on the coffee table. "There have been a lot of power outages lately, haven't there Miss Casey?'

"Do you have any idea where we get our power from, Mr. Smith?" At that moment, that convenient moment, the lights decided to turn on. Oh God. He looked even better with the lights on. How rare is that in a man?

He cleared his throat. "So, how may I be of help."

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Roger

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I was hired to see to it a hydroelectric power plant that was being unused be brought back online. It's only natural that you ask yourself, 'Why a negotiator?' The residents of Electric City, the run down town where the plant is located, are apparently obstructing the Paradigm Company, trying to redevelop the area. Why did I take this job anyway, you may ask as well. It's not like me, it's not normal. I would never tackle a job for Paradigm, the firm that just happens to rule the city. Electric plant efficiencies-- let Paradigm worry about it. It's not like I care that there's an electricity supply outside the domes. So why, I wonder why.

For some reason I thought of the strikingly beautiful Casseey Jenkins as I drove along the highway that led to Electric City, remembering when I escorted her outside my home to her taxi. One thing I knew about her, she was always wearing a remarkable amount of pink. A pink suit under a pink vintage style crown hat (my mother was fond of such things as well) and a long pink overcoat. I guess it was her favorite color. She wore its happy hues to make her feel happy and familiar within this chaotic world, feel like herself, surrounded it around her-- just like I favored the classiness and solemnity of black.

She always clutched that mysterious white envelope close to her with those wine red gloves. Before she entered the taxi I remembered she turned to me with that pleasurable sultry voice of hers and those mysterious sunglasses which she never dared to take off. "I'll well aware of your reputation… Roger, the Negotiator." And then like the wind she was gone. It was like some black-and-white 1940s girl-hires-detective movie playing in my mind.

Outside it was dark as a movie theatre. I exited the highway going by some dilapidated sign that said a not too welcoming 'Welcome To Electric City.' One of the first things I noticed about about the city was the irony of how it had the potential to produce vast amounts of power and yet I could not find a single inkling of electricity. There were no televisions or light bulbs here; people lived archaically, using kerosene lamps, torches.

The road leading to my destination was icy and the black skeleton tree branches hovered over me like a bad portent. No wonder the city needed improvement. The region here was mountainous. I saw the silhouettes of high-voltage transmission lines on the ridges. The road was empty and therefore easy to maneuver through. I followed the road that approached the mountain. The steep street hugged the sides of the mountain as I went in circles; if I lost control of the Griffon on the dangerous road, I could easily plunge to my death.

The scenery improved outside. It wasn't natural wonders but marvels of human technology. I saw a large arch-gravity damn to my right outside the window. It was insanely a large concrete structure which obviously had the potential to produce vast amounts of hydroelectric power. No wonder Paradigm Corp. wanted it so badly. My headlights flashed onto another welcome sign like the previous one. It was time to get out of the car. I braked and stepped out. The surroundings looked highly industrial and there were many buildings. But there seemed to be no sign of life.

"Now where's the power plant?"

I looked beside me, seeing the beautiful calming sight of a portion of what I assume was the Hudson. I heard the pleasant sound of churning water. Humans have evolved so far as to control the natural world by the horns for the use of their own purposes. I then turned around to face an intake tower guarded by a wire fence gate topped with a lock. "Right there… Whoever chained this up--"

A bright flashing light interrupted my discovery. I felt the shape of a round barrel pressuring my back. Dang it.

CLICK.

I lifted my hands up in submission. I only meant well; no need to start a fight. The best tactic was to remain calm and befriend the natives. I head the coughs and footsteps of not one man but several.

"You must've hated electricity," I said good-naturedly, turning around to face my apprehenders. All of the men looked quite rough outdoorsy and hardened in the winter weather. Hunting hats and hoodies, beanies, mufflers, earmuffs, bundled up in coats, old-fashioned kerosene lamps, rugged scarves, facial hair, and a hunting shotgun aimed at my rear. I must've certainly looked alien to them in my sharp classy suit. Worst of all, they didn't look the type to enjoy jokes.

I don't know if Electric City was the name of this city before the plant's existence. It would be ironic, that's for sure. A few seconds passed and I saw the crowd of men got bigger. In fact, there were also men arranged on the second level of the dam. They were sure quiet.

"What's the matter?" I demanded, scanning all of their faces. "Hey, does anybody here understand me?"

A man stepped out, obviously their leader.

"We understand you," he said angrily. "You can call us primitives if you like."

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God will rain down his lightning of wrath? Not only am I atheist but I'm also not naïve. You expect me to believe that there's a god here that gives off electricity when he's angry? I walked along the thin concrete walkway over the dam, shaking off the warning the men told me. I had to promise them that I would walk back to my car and never come back. I looked to my left and saw a person's shadow marked against the lit window of an intake tower. I jerked to the edge of the walkway to get a closer look. Then it disappeared and the lights turned off. Obviously, the person inside was satisfied that I was heading in the right direction. "There's no sign of any tunnels leading there… They're destroyed," I mused, wondering how the person reached the tower if the walkway leading towards it was damaged. I looked at the mountains which had more small dark buildings and barbed wire. "It's connected underground?"

One building stood out upon the crest of the mountain. It appeared to be a small homey-looking cottage-- that was occupied. Smoke was rising from its chimney like the way in a fairytale. I hiked toward it on a hunch. The ascent was tough, even for a young guy like me. I had to be careful and get a sure footing or else I would slip backwards. "Oh man. If I had known it'd been like this, I could've brought Dorothy a long. She could've made herself useful by lighting up the path," I said, talking to myself to break the silence. It was awfully quiet and cold. Dead trees surrounded me, concealing me from anyone's sight. I approached the cottage. I smoothed my hair and prepared to look presentable just in case.

The cottage was stilted in order to avoid the problem of having been snowed in. It looked quite beautiful in the moonlight. I observed the bright cottage, walking around it and listening to my surroundings. Then I saw a decline which apparently led to some sort of cellar. I ducked behind a group of freshly cut logs, looked around for any people, and, satisfied, I proceeded to descend into the stairs. Before I took my first step, I grabbed a flashlight and peered down. It was pretty deep. Too deep for just keeping vegetables and more logs. I also saw some fresh footprints leading inside the locked cellar's concrete door. "This is it."

And I heard the making of even fresher footprints behind me. Not again. I pulled on a smile. "It's not my style to carry a gun. I don't like being slugged from behind."

The last thing before total blackness that I remembered was this hard force hitting the back of my head. I fell hard onto the concrete, my body becoming limp.


	4. Social Similarities

*************************Chapter 4: Social Similarities*************************

When I woke up the first thing I felt was this sharp nagging pain in the back of my head. And dizziness. I tried to rub my head for relief but then I realized I couldn't move. My wrists were bound to a chair. I opened my eyes and gritted my teeth while lifting up my neck. While working the bounds, I concluded that I was inside the cottage. I looked right as the door creaked, recognizing the chattering flame of the fireplace. I saw an old man with white hair and a beard dressed in a yellow long-sleeved shirt and denim overalls enter the room. In his hand was a pail. So that was my captor this time. He didn't look too bad of a guy, to tell you the truth. Looked like a grandpa.

"You sure like to sleep-in don't cha, fellow," he said, laying the pail down in front of him and reaching back to grab another one. The buckets were obviously too heavy for that old man as he strained and hunched to lift them. I felt the cold wind rush into the room. I watched him then bring both of the buckets into the heart of the cottage.

"I have a difficult time waking up. With a piano playing."

"It figures Paradigm hired themselves a lazy bum," the old man gritted, setting the pails down. He hunched for a second, catching his breath. "Nothin' but a loafer."He tried to pick up the pails again, another laborious effort.

"I may be a 'loafer' but I may not be so impolite as to not help out my elders," I said as I freed myself from my prison and grabbed the buckets from him. He watched me curiously. I poured the buckets of melted snow into the large black cauldron. "Besides, I don't work for Paradigm anyway. Please, sit down. You sure tired yourself there." The old man blinked in surprise, taking my advice. I looked around the small cottage and found some coarsely ground coffee but no coffee machine. Good thing I knew how to do it the old fashioned way. I found the reservoir bowl and poured water into it. I added the coffee to the brew basket and then placed the basket onto the urn that was on top of the stovetop. Several minutes later I gave the fresh hot cup of coffee to the nodded in thanks, but didn't know what quite to say. He started at the cup as if it was poison. I took my coat off and exchanged it for an apron I found hanging. I proceeded to make breakfast.

"If you don't mind me saying, my scrambled eggs are pretty good." Scrambled eggs in fact were the only things I knew how to cook. And fried bacon. It was a good thing Dorothy was not in the room; she certainly would have something insulting to say."By the way what are you doing up here? How come you don't live with the others in town?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"That's really none of your concern."

"Hmm. Well I guess I'm not doing such a good job as a Negotiator," I said, giving him a serving of my absolutely delicious cooking. "To tell the truth, I'm asking purely out of curiosity. Please, dig in."He pushed aside the coffee and looked to the eggs. His face shone the look of doubt. He still didn't trust me; to him I was just another strange wealthy citizen of the domes who didn't have a club how hard life was outside of them. He chewed it slowly. Then swallowed and paused. I watched him intently. He then grabbed the salt shaker and poured a heaping on my cooking. Everyone's a eating the eggs, he didn't even say thank you. He was ruder and harder to get into a conversation to than Dorothy.

He went outside and started chopping firewood. Not like he needed anymore. There was plenty outside. I think he just needed time to think, something to do. I observed from the inside of the cottage, drinking the coffee he obviously didn't touch. The old man paused for a while, rubbing his back. He seemed to be doing a lot of work; didn't this guy ever think of retiring? He then saw me gazing at him and he angrily chopped the wood. I chuckled to myself. Town or country mouse, we were all the same, ruled by the same emotions.I went inside and poured myself another hot cup of coffee. For some reason, the coffee tasted it different; it tasted sweeter out here in the mountains. I examined the rural inside of the home. I liked it; nice, homey, and simple. I wish life could be more like that. I could tell that this old man probably had the same schedule everyday, didn't have to answer to anyone or anything. Only to the needs and desires of himself. Nobody to fight or deal with, no negotiations, and especially no irritating smart-aleck android girl playing pianos in the morning. Life was just simple. He had to struggle everyday to survive while I dealt with stubborn clients and wished for a vacation.

I heard a mysterious creak as I paced over the wooden floor. I turned around. I was at the edge of a green rug. I tapped on its surface twice on different locations on the fabric. Hollow. I lifted the rug up. There was a door on the floor. A hidden room! Was it the same one I tried to investigate last night? I lifted the trap door up and sneaked a peek inside. The unlighted room beneath the cottage was very strange and didn't have any extra logs, just as I expected. Instead I saw a messy room with various technologies, measuring instruments on the walls, wiring, a desk with tons of paper, many of it scattered on the floor. There was a large safe that was obviously broken; I could see its emptiness within.

"What's all this?" I wondered, putting on my gloves as I lowered down the wooden stairs. A closer look at the table indicated some sort of science experiment had occurred, an experiment that failed. I saw flasks tipped over, tube holders, a container with blue liquid, numerous tomes. A stool was tipped over on the floor coated with shattered glass. There were mechanisms on the walls with switches and empty plugs. I picked up a clipboard and read the paper attached. Strange. I was no science buff, but apparently I could discern that some sort of creature had been tested right here in this room. I moved the clipboard and I saw beneath it was a dissection tray with tools.

"This is no ordinary facility." I got the clipboard again and flipped over the first page. Nothing. I then saw something shiny on the dirty floor. I squatted down and picked it up. A picture. An old one alright. Possibly over forty years old. It was none other than the mister who captured me last night. He was younger then, posed by a table and behind him were the silhouettes of fish swimming in tanks. I stood up, looking to investigate some more.

CHOOMMMMMMM.

I then heard a heaving racket that reminded me of yesterday morning when the power surged in my mansion. This couldn't be good. I heard the turning on of the gadgets in the room, the arrows of magnitude indicators wavered alarmingly on the walls. I saw blue electricity gush in an outpour between two metal screw-shaped structures. The power of the electricity rose and rose in the room. I felt the my hair stick up to its end due to the massive amounts of static in the room.

"Ugh. Wait. I didn't touch anything!"I shivered in amazement and fear as the electricity became so formidable that its hazardous tendrils now zapped every corner of the room. "What's going on!" I ran out of the cellar, gasping for breath. I saw an eerie green light being reflected on the walls and the noise was becoming louder. "Did somebody connect the power?" I ran out of the cottage, meaning to warn the old man of what has transpired but the yard was empty. I glanced around, then saw him facing the edge of the mountain. He was gazing at the river. I ran over to him. "Old man! The power!" Above the sound of power surging and the river lapping the bank, I heard a different noise. It sounded like an inhuman wail that seemed to come out of the body of water itself.

"Somebody started the turbines," he said furiously. "You worked for them, didn't you?" He grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me violently.

"No. I came here on my own. I don't work with anyone!"He dropped me and he ran towards the side of the cottage. I followed him. Sure enough, I saw that there were fresh footprints leading into what I thought was the cellar last night.

"This guy's good," I remarked to myself.

"I have to stop the turbines!" said the old man, his eyes wide with anxiety. I grabbed him firmly by the shoulder."If I don't hurry something terrible will happen!" the old man exclaimed, holding a fist.

"I suggest you leave this to me, old man," I said with confidence. "Whoever did this is a professional. A pro researcher like yourself should understand." The man looked at me with wonder. "The job should be left to the professionals, wouldn't you agree?"

I went into the cellar, which actually seemed more like a tunnel. Even with the rapid boost of electricity surging everywhere, it was still pretty dark. My only source of illumination was my flashlight. Against the tunnel's walls were long traveling pipes. I could smell and hear the industrial-use river rushing through the metal. I heard soft footsteps approaching that weren't mine. I switched the flashlight's light setting to the brightest mode possible, ready for anything. I heard a female's gasp. I saw an unmistakable blonde in a tight pink bodysuit bracing herself against the blinding light, caught unawares.


	5. Strictly Business

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Chapter 5: Strictly Business

Angel

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My heart just leaped again but I knew I'd have to find a way to explain myself fast before anything else. Roger caught me in the act and I had a feeling that 'power management' would not suffice for an explanation as to why I would be trespassing property. I planned, you know, to see him again, but not like this. In a totally embarrassing skintight suit (more for functionality than style) that showed every single curve of my body. Not to mention I probably just blew my cover… I always wished to appear attractive to men-- always a good self-esteem booster and way to manipulate-- but for some reason I felt ashamed and naked in front of Roger… It was more good for him than me.

"I've seen those curves before," his deep voice resounded throughout the tunnel. "You were just using me, weren't you. Miss Casseey."

He walked in front of me, looking at me up and down. I glared at his black eyes, black as my own, trying to discern the pupils.

"Not bad, Mr. Negotiator," I said, trying to sound calm, cool, collected, slick but I heard my voice more irritated than anything else. Trying to appear unaffected by his presence. "Thanks to you I was able to find the perfect route."

"I told you I don't take jobs from untrustworthy clients," he said.

Ouch. Untrustworthy?

"Humph. You've already done what I've wanted you to do," I said. "And then some." I proceeded to take out his shades, which I had to tuck in between my you-knows. I had no room in my suit to carry anything other than the nanotech gadgets required for the mission. I'd often had to resort to plan double D when it came to storage place, but it oftentimes did the job. I'm sure Roger would think that I was flirting with him, but I wouldn't dare at a time like this. I had a job to do. Strictly business, remember? I waved the shades in front of his face which was only two feet away from me.

"So let me take a guess. You're not with power management are you, miss."

Uh-oh. Trying to be as distractive as possible, I slid the sunglasses onto his suit. "Call me Angel," I said with a smile, holding my palm towards him at an angle. Pray to God it worked.

"Well, fallen… angel," he said. I tried to analyze his body language and facial expression. Negative. He certainly wasn't 'flirting' back. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask too much about my true intentions.

A strange noise shook the tunnel, coming from behind him.. Roger turned around. And then I saw something even stranger. Something that looked like blue serpents racing towards us. The tunnel was entirely lit in electric blue.

Roger grabbed me down to the ground forcefully. The serpents crawled away above us. We were safe. For now. I had a feeling he just saved me from something very painful. I grunted.

"The wrath," Roger said. "The wrath of God."

What did he say? Anyways, his arm was still around me. It felt very strange for some reason. And I hated that I had to depend on Roger for my safety during the moment. I've always hated the feeling of being the damsel-in-distress. The ceiling above us shook again and rocks fell to the floor.

But I couldn't help it. I was getting scared and confused.

I didn't know how scary this mission was going to be. They told me I had to deal with electricity, sneak around, and go through a tunnel, but I didn't know it was this bad. Especially since I'm claustrophobic. I felt like a little child. A helpless weak little thing.

I had to be brave, though. My mother always told me that. There's no sense in showing your fear. Doesn't do any good. Showing your emotions means you're showing your weakness to your enemies.

There was a burst as the pipes erupted, sending shoots of water into the tunnel.

"Let's go!" Roger yelled, his strong arms hoisting me up into the air as if I was a feather. He grabbed by my wrist forcefully and wouldn't let go. I had to run as fast he was or else I'd plummet to the ground.

"Why is this happening? All I did was reactivate the turbines!" I screamed, my adrenaline pumping. I imagined Roger and I getting drowned in this tunnel, never getting out alive, never to see the light of day again.

Roger didn't answer-- not like he could. I thought he was mad at me.

They told me this mission was a 100% safe and foolproof. And me, the foolish Angel, believed those liars.

Roger let go of my hand as we emerged out of the side of the cottage. I massaged my wrists and followed him. He was standing tall, gazing out into the river. I hunched over and put on hands on my knees, attempting to catch my breath. Roger next to me looked like that mad dash didn't affect him at all. I was physically in shape-- I had to be for my job-- but this guy was Paradigm City's top Negotiator.

"Where did that old man go to?" he asked.

"Who? What old man?" I asked, staring into the river. I felt so ashamed, so guilty for putting Roger, myself, and who knows who else into Electric City into so much trouble. For believing the blasted company after they had reassured me completely. I felt him looking at me.

"Huh!" I pointed to the body of water. There was something light colored under the murky surface. It was followed by several dark triangles. It looked like it was approaching us, getting closer. And then I heard an odd noise. It sounded like a whale. I looked up at the sky. The clouds were ominous and heavy, as if they were ashamed at me, too. The sound of the river's lapping increased. It wasn't a tranquil controlled river anymore. It was an ocean.

Roger started running again. The strange whale passed us and he was trying to catch up to it to get a better look. I followed him.

"What is that?" I screamed. "Nobody said anything about this!" I was furious with Paradigm; I was going to make sure I would convey that dissatisfaction.


	6. A Woe That Is Madness

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Chapter 6: A Woe That Is Madness

Roger

While running, the trap door room resurrected in my mind. I thought that the black case was a safe that someone broke into; I believed it was empty and shattered because someone got inside of it. I was severely mistaken. It wasn't a safe for valuables-- it was in fact a tank!

Something black just shot up out of the sky from the river. It's must've been the monster. I pulled to a halt. Angel screamed. My vision followed the length of the black object. I estimated it to be a whopping 100 m tall. The whale was traveling so fast that it carried jets of water along the sides of its body. Eventually the water plunged down due to the laws of physics with a splash and everyone could see the strange creature for what it was.

Emphasis on it.

I called it a monster earlier-- and that's the only way I could in a nutshell describe this combination of a whale, eel, and sea snake. This thing also reminded me of a scaly hagfish anatomically. It had a spiked head, an elongated body like that of an eel's, and a paddle-like tail that peeked from the water below. It had a vast amount of razor-sharp teeth. A shark was nothing compared to this baby. I had never seen anything so horrific like it.

"What is that?" Angel screamed.

To my further awe, this science fiction spawn creature raised up in the air as if to dramatize a horror movie evil transformation process. Electricity from the power plant flowed amazingly through the air to its head, which seemed to conduct electricity. The lights coursed throughout its body as it absorbed the power.

There was a zap as more and more power rose from the plant to the creature. All its energy was derived from the humungous turbines that Angel turned on. The hydroelectric power phenomena I was witnessing before me was massive. There was enough power coursing through the monster to more than power the entire Paradigm City! It was hard to tell if the electricity benefited it or harmed it, but it was obvious that the monster was still alive. The fish resembled a disrupted wire during a hurricane storm. Its entire body was glowing blue and quaking.

I saw Angel's slim figure dashing ahead of me.

I reached my arm out. "Hey, where are you going?"

"This thing is none of my business. My job is over!" the troublemaker yelled.

"Wait! It's dangerous down there!" I yelled back.

"I'm going back to my car!"

I put my arm down. Fine then. I smirked. "A fallen angel." I lifted up my watch to my face. "Big O!"

The gadget beeped in acknowledgement. Then a set of coordinates blinked on the screen, the location of where the Megadeus would rise up. The designation was two miles away. I ran towards it and contacted Norman.

"As you instructed sir, I shipped it out last night," Norman said. "It should arrive in fifteen seconds."

"Thanks, Norman." I ran across the walkway, the same one I simply strolled on last night. I was nearer the monster than ever before now; I could see every detail of its long neck stretched above. I was out of its sight lines because it was still being distracted by the absorption of electricity. Good, I still had time.

I heard a beep of the car behind me. A sultry voice passed by in a pink sports car. "If you survive, let's get together sometime." And then she sped off.

"Of all the--" I muttered.

The monster shifted. It must've heard the beep of the car! It's numerous eyes followed the movement of the pink vehicle like an animal stalking prey. I checked my watch.

"This is it."

I jumped off the wall of the dam, the tumultuous water rushing below me. To anyone watching, they must've sworn me crazy. But life at the moment was anything but not crazy.

"It's showtime!" I yelled against the wind.


	7. Getaway

Chapter 7: Getaway

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Angel

***********

I looked in my rearview mirrors and saw my messy blonde hair and quivering face. I turned away in disgust at myself. I screw up and what do I do-- I run away?! Never in my life have I experienced the physical and emotional demands that were required of me today. Never have I felt so weak before. I had to leave Roger, I had to. I knew I started the trouble but there was nothing I could do. My presence would have done nothing to stop the monster. At the riverside, as soon as I saw the black eel present itself, I knew it was too late. Roger was busy looking at the monster rising out of the water so I quickly grabbed the small walkie talkie out of my pocket. I tried to contact or page the HQ but there was so much interference due to the static in the air. I had to get out of there. If I was going to try anything I had to get out. Maybe if I could find some spot on top of a hill away from the dam I could get the right wavelength, I thought...And that's how I ended up right where I was, leaving the dam, driving along the walkway. Relieved to get out of that place.

A shadow on my right side interrupted short-lived hope. I pulled the brakes... It was the monster, as if I hadn't even left at all! It was chasing me! Its horrible, horrible face looked like it was grinning at me with its razor-sharp teeth. I started panicking. My car swerved as I lost control, making a deafening screeching noise. I saw it open his mouth, his hellhole mouth, revealing a circle set of pearly whites. It started gathering electricity in its mouth. The ball became bigger and bigger... pain ripping through every fiber of my body. A pain so unbearable licking my every bone, a pain I've never felt before. Seeing nothing but the color of blood red in front of me, wanting to move but having an external force doing it violently without my say. My God, I was going to die burnt with my hands welded onto the steering wheel. It was going to end like this, a final bloodcurdling scream for help that was no one was going to answer and a death that I hoped was no less than instant. The smell of burnt hair, my tragic life flashing before my very eyes. The old house in the snow, the face of my mother as she told me about my scars, swinging in the playground, my first kiss and first love, graduating, driving in Paradigm, undergoing training, the first time I laid my eyes on the ever-handsome Roger, Roger's angry yells echoing in the tunnel... I was just so tired of it all. Everything numbing away. No more pain. I was just want to sleep and forget everything, forget this damned life. The floor beneath me stops just like my surroundings. The sound of crackling electricity and sputtering motor fading away. Tunnel... Black tunnel... Quiet and a pleasant funny numbness moving throughout me. Awareness. Nothing but my own heartbeat and panicked breathing.I opened my eyes, welcoming myself to the after life. I found no devil or white gate but a familiar round silver circle.

I fought my body's stiffness and sat up groggily. The center of the driving wheel of my car. I was still alive. Dammit.

I heard a noise and turned right. I yelled to see that dreaded monster worse than the devil himself. I turned left and desperately tried to open the door. The handle moved but there was no open door. Blast it, the electricity must've shut everything off! I stared at my fate, back at the monster which seemed to stare at me amusedly like a dinosaur from Jurassic Park. I wasn't going to be electrocuted to death, I was going to get eaten, get torn apart limb by limb. And then the door budged without warning. I fell backwards onto the concrete, head first, then toppled over. I cried out in pain; the numbness from before no longer lingered. There was a hissing above. I looked up and met my expectations. The whale with a massive overbite followed my every move, the small side fins near its face fanned out, dripping water on my body. It didn't want to eat me first; it wanted to chase me, corner me, have fun with its prey before finishing off. The lion enjoyed inflicting fear into the rest of the animal kingdom.I froze, staring into its many eyes. Waiting for my reflection to be engulfed. The monster jerked upwards, growling, announcing its pitiful next meal proudly.I heard something below me. A terrifying rumbling sound, the bubbling of an angry lake, the movement of many gears. The monster seemed to cock its head to one side, its hidden ears sensing the strange sound as well. I captured the opportunity to flee right on time, picking myself up in a record swift movement. My legs felt a burning sensation as I fought my tiredness and fear away from the car and monster.

GLRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

I wheeled around, feeling the walkway move from beneath my feet. I watched in amazement as the walkway crumbled in half in front of me, my car sliding along with it. "Oh no! Not my car!"

Something red rose up replacing the walkway, groaning. I thought it was yet another monster, but it was something even better, far greater. It was the Chromebuster of the Megadeus! Roger! I'd almost forgotten for a minute!


	8. Resurrection

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Chapter 8: Resurrection

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Roger

************

I saw the monster in front of me; I was witnessing a very frightening view of its dangerous overbite. I pulled back the right joystick and pushed forward, punching the whale-like creature. At the same time it lurched towards me. My attack was ineffective; it dodged my blow. Quickly the whale lifted itself up and slithered onto the Big O's right arm. Its mouth swelled like a snake and engulfed a shoulder. Its teeth punctured through the metal, severing wires and causing electricity to circulate throughout the upper portion of the Megadeus. I cringed as I felt a portion of that electricity enter the cockpit. I fought the stiffness that tried to plague me and with one of my hands I lifted up a cap on a joystick to press a button. Big O's other free arm punched the snake, causing it to back off in pain. It slid back, gathering electricity from the air as its mouth was raised to the sky. The turbines responded by sending huge amounts of electricity. The snake glowed bright yellow, a Chinese dragon show with fireworks building on its inside.

"So now I understand how this dam could provide such a huge power supply. Hello, God. Your almighty power is manmade. That figures."

The monster swished its tail, leering at me. It rose up again and opened its mouth. "Well, my friend. Rest in peace!" I yelled, punching my right arm again.

"What the--" Something happened that I could not have predicted. The monster's mouth had stretched far enough to harvest a large elliptical energy shield that glowed with a big concentrative power. I heard a clang. It was like punching into titanium. The Big O shifted backwards with force. The energy shield disappeared; its mouth widened vastly. I could not see anything in front of me other than the fleshy red of its mouth in preparation for a single huge gulp. The punching bag tonsils dangled threateningly as it became closer. This could not be good. I was going to be swallowed alive! Salivary glands oozing acidic juices and digestive muscle distending, deeper and deeper slid the Big O. I was shocked at the massive strength this whale had. The monstrosity had put all its strength into imprisoning the Big O in a tough fleshy confinement. I tried to make my Megadeus push it off but the thing wasn't gonna go without a fight. Electricity coursed throughout my entire machine as power transferred from the monster to the Big O. The surge locked my muscles, preventing me from any easy maneuver to get rid of the thing. I wriggled in a painful resistance. And then the blue electricity stopped. The pink tongue of the monster slid out and grabbed Big O by the arm.

"Alright then," I gritted my teeth as I managed to press a black switch. A small platform with controls elevated itself. I was about to continue on but then I glanced at the fuzzy television screen and saw the old man apparently nearby rowing out in a full body swimsuit. Was he crazy! "If I fire my Chromebuster now I'd..."

The blue electricity fired again, causing the ripping pain to re-emerge. I felt my body weakening as the electrocution continued. "What's the old man doing out there?" I cried. I saw the elderly person manage to row himself to the side of an intake tower building. He glanced at the monster and then climbed up the metal bars of the tower. The tower that led to the turbines. My mind had a light bulb go off. "Now I get it! He's shutting it down!"

The ringing of power died, the lights flickered off. The blue zigzags faded away to my relief; at the same time the monster's determination diminished, too. The moment the power disappeared the monster seemed to almost let go of the Big O; its role as the predator was over and it now faced extinction. The old but still strong man's quest was successful; he would finish what he started those forty years ago.

"Now, Big O!" I yelled as I fired a laser from my Megadeus's right arm. It ripped the monster's tongue right off. I pressed a button and Big O's 'gun' transformed into a hand. I then smacked two of Big O's fists together, harnessing the magnitude of the Megadeus's power cells (and then some that was absorbed from the electrocution) to finish the monster. The stream of energy that resulted bombarded the whale right on. The force caused the monster to relay back. The energy tore through the science experiment's mix of wires and flesh; the thing was totaled as the power traveled through it, burning everything in its path. The monster had lost its head and half its body length. The dying remnants of its electric body sparkled as it sank into the water of the lake. Darkness and peace moved across the still, bubbling waters.

The next step in Genesis began; the lake started to turn bright white. Without notice, a large stalk of electricity burst from the water shooting to the sky, piercing through an invisible target then dispersing towards Electric City in multiple cells. And then another bright light and hum, this time coming from the congregation of old buildings. An eerie orange glow rose from the skyscrapers. At first I thought the monster had made his revenge by causing a great fire, but it was much more worse than that. The people were right. God could do the unspeakable.

Electricity traveled through the architectures of civilization, enlightening the archaic lamp-lit society. Wires and transformers which haven't been used in forty years were now finally brought back to life.


	9. Blues

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Chapter 9: Blues

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Roger

************

No clients to deal with, no guns pointed at me, no monster wrecking havoc for the time being. It was late at night and I sat on the rooftop of my mansion, reflecting upon my day. It was my favorite thing to do after a long time at work. It was relaxing, not that I truly had no worries, but it was comfortable sitting out there in the cold while wearing my robe all by myself below the night sky. I sat on a lounge chair, facing the magnificent view of the city. The round yellow dome in front of me, which housed the rich (most of which were associated with the Paradigm company), glowed like a bright ornament in Christmas. The view certainly had all the dynamics to be romantic but I resented the domes, though, and how they segregated the social classes. The rich hated the poor, the poor hated the rich; they rarely associated with each other and could care less about the wellbeing of their fellow human. I liked knowing I wasn't part of the Paradigm company and had no part in the segregation.I was glad I performed the Electric City well done. It was a happy story now with a happy ending until some other Megadeus decides to show up. I left the Electric City area after first destroying the power plant so it could never be reactivated again. That was my way of concluding negotiations, negotiations with the old man and the monster he just happened to create. A manmade titan that gives off electricity. It was unfortunate that old man had to be that scientist and had memories of making that artificial lifeform. It looked like Paradigm received a sample of that old monster but I really doubt they'll go through the trouble of creating another one.

I thought about the odds of the titan suddenly popping up and spreading his electricity to the needy inhabitants of the city who hadn't turned a lightbulb on for forty years. Without the scientist's creation of an evil monster, without my arrival, without Angel's reckless turning on of the turbines, the string of events would not haved paved the way for the Electric City civilian's new lives. It was mind boggling. It was all perfect.

Speaking of Angel. Her blonde hair waving behind her in the wind as she sped next to me as I ran towards the Big O. "If you survive, let's get together sometime," she had said. The nerve of that woman. I wondered what happened to her, if she was faring okay, considering her car unfortunately got waterlogged and certainly had a scare. She probably called some relatives or friends to take her home, stayed at a hotel for the night, who knows.

Sigh.

I walked back in the house to see Dorothy doing something that looked like trying to play the piano-- aggressively. She resembled a blind man on the piano, jerking left and right with the melody, pouring all his heart and soul into the musical notes. Except she didn't have a real heart, much less a soul.

But I noticed it was a different song. It was much slower, sounded like some sort of sad song you'd hear at a blues club.

"How many times do I have to tell you that's it's just pointless to imitate us?"

She immediately straightened up, only letting her hands do all the work, staring blank straight at me with her solemn empty-looking eyes.

"Anyway, how come you're playing the blues?"

"Even I sometimes feel like playing them. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Feel like it? Fine... if you say so."

I was secretly taken aback. Dorothy was a girl of surprises-- but what could she ever possibly feel sad about?

Later that night I was looking for Casseey Jenkin's card, only to find it missing. Girls are girls, androids or not, and I guess I'll just never understand them.


End file.
